Chapter 401
A moan-like word escaped through his lips.
“…Lei Fei?”
He was the only nephew of Wei Fenghu, the Minister of National Defense, and a secret S-rank Hunter nurtured by China.
And on the day the monster wave broke out, the hero who vanished along with a thousand hunters from the Public Security Hunter Division.
‘If by any chance you meet that child… could you bring him back?’
The desperate request from the elderly general that he had once heard echoed in his mind. Perhaps that was the moment when his body had frozen, stiffening without warning.
– Foul human! Snap out of it! He’s no longer human but a corrupted monster!
The Skeleton Warlord’s cry was undeniable truth.
Among the monsters I’ve slain so far, there have been Hunters and civilians who had been revived as undead, and Lei Fei is just another one of them.
Currently, he is no longer the S-rank Hunter who died fulfilling his mission, but the Death Knight Lord leading a monster legion.
But…
‘Something’s different.’
Crackle!
– Guh, guh… Gah!
His body trembled violently, interrupted by sporadic groans.
The blood-red glow flickered like a traffic light, and every time it did, the white pupils and irises that appeared were unmistakably human.
An undead that had lost its senses and reason, moving only by instinct to slaughter, shouldn’t exhibit such reactions. I had neither heard nor seen anything like this before.
‘What if… by any chance, the undead transformation isn’t fully complete?’
If that’s the case… what am I supposed to do?
Right now, with a single strike, I could end this battle and bring peace to the souls of the victims.
But then… would I be killing a hero who sacrificed his life to protect people, or the Death Knight Lord who led a legion of monsters and committed countless massacres and destruction?
“This is such bullshit…”
The deliberation was brief.
There was no other choice. The die had been cast, and both he and I had already crossed the point of no return. If I couldn’t subdue him imperfectly, I had to end this now.
‘Rest in peace.’ Lei Fei, Death Knight Lord. Whoever you may have been, you will now find peace.
The full power of my Flaming Divine Fist will finish it swiftly, without pain.
Whoosh! Fwooom!
And as my fist, engulfed in blue flames, surged forward to bring it all to an end—
– My… lord…!
A chilling voice escaped from between lips stained dark red. The flickering red light in his eyes sharpened at once, and tangible magic surged up.
Crack! Boom!
Fire and darkness collided. The two massive forces clashed, exploding with a tremendous shockwave.
Rumble!
The deafening roar reverberated through my ears. I flipped my body in mid-air, regaining my posture after being flung away by the massive recoil.
Amid the smoke that veiled the shattered ground and the wreckage of monsters, a figure cloaked in darkness approached.
– I am his most loyal servant.
From the desolate ground, darkness surged. It was the deathly energy left behind by the fallen monsters.
– The supreme commander of the army of the dead.
Whoooosh!
The swirling darkness was sucked into the figure. At the same time, the half-broken armor was restored, broken bones mended, and the red light in his eyes blazed fiercely.
A rapid recovery, followed by an increase in power. The being, now holding immense magical energy, slowly raised its sword.
– By the command of my lord, I shall fulfill my duty.
He was wrong. His duty had once been to act as a shield for humanity, a guardian who sacrificed his life for others, but the hero who had given everything lost his memory and was corrupted by an Arch-Lich.
[Lv.140 Death Knight Lord]
Lei Fei no longer existed. The entity approaching me now was merely a monster.
If that’s the case…
“I too must fulfill my duty.”
The moment I muttered quietly. Swish!
A sword infused with dark magic descended toward my head.
Ssslash.
The blow missed by mere inches.
The magic-infused blade sliced through the ground like a sharp knife, without causing a loud explosion or scattering debris, leaving a clean gash over ten meters long, like a slice through cheesecake.
Schrrrk!
I heard the chilling sound of the cut and reached out my hand.
The scorching heat contained in my Flaming God Palm collided with the blade that had altered its trajectory.
Boom!
A massive shockwave erupted around us. Through the swirling dust, I could see the burning red glow in his eyes.
“Take this.”
My Fiery Divine Fist shot forward like a cannon.
The bastard straightened his knee, glaring fiercely. My fiery fist collided with his knee, wrapped in darkness.
Crack!
The world shook. My vision rapidly filled with the outer wall of a building as I was thrown back by the tremendous rebound.
As I twisted my body in the air, my feet found solid footing on the concrete wall.
‘Flame Path.’
I channeled energy through my legs. Focused power. And then, an explosion.
Crunch! Boom!
The concrete wall exploded as it absorbed the full force and speed carried by my feet.
I shot forward like a streak of flame, finding myself above the Death Knight Lord, who had just regained his posture.
‘Inventory Open. Summon.’
A solid spear shaft filled my grip. The energy that filled my entire body surged to the tip of the spear.
The blue flames that erupted in mid-air slashed down like the claws of a Fire Dragon.
Fire Dragon Spear’s First Technique.
‘Heavenly Strike.’
Swoosh—
The scorching heat burned the air. The Death Knight Lord, now brimming with magic, raised his sword as if to explode his power, directing it at the descending spear.
Boom!
The shattered spear blade filled my vision with a bluish flash.
The overwhelming force channeled through the spear caused spiderweb-like cracks to spread from the point where the Death Knight Lord blocked it, and in the next moment, the ground within a hundred meters collapsed.
Crack!
A massive sinkhole emerged as the earth crumbled under the pressure.
The monsters caught in the aftermath of the battle screamed as they plummeted hundreds of meters below.
The Death Knight Lord stepped on a falling ogre, soaring back to the surface, and looked up at me.
He was staring at me, standing high in the sky.
‘Void Steps.’
An ability granted only to those who have reached the absolute pinnacle.
I felt the intense drain on my energy as I stepped forward, ascending through the void. Before my feet could touch the ground, a whip-like strike of magic shot toward my side.
‘Inventory Open. Summon.’
Crash!
Though I successfully blocked the attack, the spear shattered into pieces as a result.
White Flame (Baekyong) had already been thrown earlier as a projectile. Though the weapons stored in my inventory were of good quality, they were only disposable in a battle like this.
However, if I have dozens or even hundreds of disposable weapons, the situation changes.
‘Inventory Open. Summon.’
Swiish! Crash!
Summon.
Crack!
With each exchange, the spear shaft snapped and the blade shattered. But I didn’t mind.
My senses, sharper than ever before, informed me of everything happening now and what was to come.
‘Summon. Summon.’
I crossed the spears in both hands and swung them with lightning speed.
Crack!
One spear collided with the sword and was destroyed, but the other one struck the Death Knight Lord’s side.
Boom!
With a thundering crash, I took a step toward his retreating form.
Just one step. I was now in front of the Death Knight Lord.
My speed in closing the gap was faster than his in retreating.
Fiery Dragon Spear First Technique.
‘Fire Dragon’s Tail.’
Swiish! Thud!
A newly summoned spear pierced through the Death Knight Lord’s black armor, embedding itself in his knee.
The armor had been reinforced even more than before, but the magical energy infused into it couldn’t block the spear’s sharp force.
‘It won’t cause pain, but the impact will be felt.’
But contrary to my expectations, the Death Knight Lord didn’t waver.
Screech!
Using his magic-infused sword, he sliced through the spear and lunged toward me instead of retreating.
Ssslaaash.
The air itself split, and every hair on my body stood on end.
I thought I’d dodged in time, but a thin thread of magic grazed past my earlobe.
Ssslash!
A sharp pain shot through as blood spurted from my half-severed earlobe.
Feeling the blood trickle down my neck, I thrust my palm toward his face.
Whoosh, a blaze of fire erupted, and just as the Flaming God Palm was about to explode—
Boom!
Amid the deafening roar, my eyes widened.
The palm strike that should have blown off his head was blocked by a pitch-black gauntlet.
‘What the…’
It wasn’t the fact that my attack had been blocked that surprised me.
Though still crude, the Death Knight Lord had just shown a technique that was familiar to me—a palm strike technique, specifically one in the form of my Flaming God Palm.
‘This bastard… is mimicking my martial arts.’
As I met his unwavering, blazing red eyes, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘An S-rank Hunter secretly nurtured by China.’
I had almost forgotten. The being in front of me, though now a monster, was once a genius chosen from 1.2 billion people and a secret weapon kept hidden until the end.
‘Impressive. Truly impressive.’
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. At the same time, a certainty settled within me.
‘You won’t defeat me.’
If he had been chosen from 1.2 billion people, then I was the only one chosen from the 7 billion humans in the world.
The blood I’ve shed while crossing between the modern world and Murim, and the countless near-death experiences I’ve faced, have made me who I am today.
“Let’s finish this… now.”
With those quiet words, I stepped forward.
I was more composed than ever, and my senses were razor-sharp.
Whip!
As I tilted my head, the magic unleashed by the Death Knight Lord barely missed me.
Feeling the blazing energy coursing through my entire body, I threw out my fist.
Boom!
With a ground-shaking roar, the Death Knight Lord’s form wavered.
He hastily tried to imitate the Gold Palm technique to block it, but my Fiery Divine Fist punched through his crude defense and slammed into his chest.
‘More.’
Swoosh, thud!
‘More. More. More.’
I muttered inwardly as I continued to throw punches and kicks without pause.
Each strike, imbued with powerful energy, clashed with his sword and relentlessly exploited any gaps.
Not only the spears summoned from my inventory but also my fists, legs, elbows… every part of me became both a weapon and a shield.
Crack! Slash!
As his wrist, still encased in a gauntlet, was severed, the powerful magic he wielded faltered like a flickering candle.
Unable to withstand the overwhelming physical ability and ocean-like energy I possessed, the Death Knight Lord’s armor began to disintegrate slowly.
Boom!
Both of us ignored defense as we exchanged a final blow.
A system notification informed me that the durability of my Fire Dragon Armor had significantly decreased, while the armor that had once encased him shattered like glass.
With a final crack, his pale skin, now mottled with signs of decay, was revealed.
The red glow in his eyes burned brighter than ever before, signaling the end.
– I… I…!
But his cry was never completed.
Thud!
A transparent spear blade pierced through his pale chest.
Using Void Control, I pulled the White Flame Spear toward me and answered him as I looked into his eyes.
“It’s over… Rest now.”
